TAUPO, New Zealand, 22 October 2026. New Zealand software company OwlQR today launched its live product information platform. The platform gives food, beverage, skincare and cosmetics exporters one QR code per product built on GS1 Digital Link, ahead of a global retail shift to 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. OwlQR announced in August 2026 that the platform was in beta testing. Its early customers include Taupō honey producer Honey Honey and tea brand The Tea Thief.
Each code links to a single product record that the business updates when product details, test results or certificates change. The printed code stays the same. GS1 Digital Link, the standard behind it, is a GS1 specification that connects a product’s barcode number to information online.
Honey Honey is a family-owned producer of raw, BioGro certified organic mānuka and native honey. Its hives are flown by helicopter into remote mānuka bush around Taupō each summer. Mānuka exported from New Zealand has to meet the Ministry for Primary Industries’ scientific definition, tested batch by batch, and some markets also require an official export certificate.
“We’ve always had the proof. Every batch is tested and all of our honey is certified organic,” said Artje Schrijvers of Honey Honey. “The hard part has been keeping it in one place. When a buyer asked for a certificate or a test result, we’d go looking for it in folders and email threads. Then we’d do it again for the next one.”
Schrijvers said the business measures the value in time saved. “We’d rather be out with the bees than in front of a computer. If this gives us a few hours back in export season, that’s worth it.”
Both OwlQR founders have dealt with export compliance themselves. Co-founder and director Carrick Graham, a strategic communications specialist, took his TE WAI facial mist brand into overseas markets. Co-founder Tony Burt founded East Imperial tonics and exported its beverages to more than 20 countries.
“When I took TE WAI offshore, I worked through each market’s labelling and documentation requirements myself,” Graham said. “Most manufacturers we talk to aren’t short of information. It’s just in too many places.”
“At East Imperial, nearly every country we sold into had its own requirements,” Burt said. “Brands shouldn’t have to start again each time they enter a new market or a customer asks for evidence.”
The launch comes ahead of GS1’s Sunrise 2027 target, which calls for retailers worldwide to be able to scan 2D barcodes, including QR codes, at the point of sale by the end of 2027. The company said the same product data could also help businesses prepare for digital product passport rules in markets such as the European Union.
OwlQR is aimed at exporters, brand owners and marketplace sellers. Further food and beverage businesses are lining up to use the platform, along with skincare and cosmetics brands, the company said.
OwlQR is listed in the GS1 New Zealand solution provider directory. The platform helps businesses organise and share product information. It does not certify products or guarantee regulatory compliance. More information is available at https://owlqr.com.
About OwlQR OwlQR Limited is a New Zealand-built software company. It helps exporters, brand owners and marketplace sellers keep product information in one place and share it through a single QR code built on GS1 Digital Link. OwlQR is listed in the GS1 New Zealand solution provider directory.
About Honey Honey Honey Honey is a family-owned Taupō producer of raw, BioGro certified organic mānuka and native honey. https://organichoneyhoney.co.nz
Media contact Carrick Graham, Co-founder and Director, OwlQR Limited Phone: +64 21 462 368 Email: [email protected] Website: https://owlqr.com
